Trash To Treasure
by 4llamas
Summary: High school FanFic! Dean is abused one day after coming home from school. John goes a bit crazy. Castiel is new in school and is running away from his troubled past. Can two troubled teens find comfort in each other amongst all of the chaos in their lives, or will they go through their hardships alone? Can Sam man-up and get the girl before it's too late? And what happens to John?
1. Chapter 1

**Hi guys! So this is a new story I'm working on and it will be a fairly long story. I am in love with Destiel and I think Sam and Jess are cute together. Anyways, the story starts off a little slow but it will get faster and more smooth as the story progresses(I hope^^). In this story, I made John go a bit insane. You'll see what I mean in chapter 2. I have a hate/love thing going on with bad-dad-John because it makes the story have a more interesting plot(at least I think so) but I also like John as a character in the show and I don't like making him a bad guy. Therefore I will tell you that the story is a bit dark in some places but I will have a happy ending...or will I? O.o**

**I want to thank you for reading my story, in fact I can't thank you enough! This will be my first ever "serious" fanfiction and I'm a bit nervous. Constructive criticism is always appreciated and I love, Love, LOVE comments. (Seriously they will make me feel more confident about posting this story so that the whole WORLD could possibly see it)**

**Thank you again for taking time out of your day to read this and I hope that you enjoy it! ^^**

Dean POV:

The Impala glistened in the warm sun rays and purred as it rolled down the endless asphalt road. The tires pushed yellowed leaves to the side, leaving them to dance and swirl behind as it drove. Dean's calloused hands gripped the steering wheel as his thumbs were used as drum sticks, beating along to an ACDC song that blared from the old speakers. His head jerked back and forth in time to the music, and he would sometimes belt out the words of the song.

After a log day, whether it be in school or at work, Dean loved to listen to music in his beloved Impala and just ride. She was beautiful, calming, reliable, and best of all...his. He didn't own much things that he could call truly 'his' but she was one of them.

At school he was always surrounded by people and always talking to somebody that it sometimes got exhausting. The girls, and some guys, hung off his every word and would chase and beg him for attention. It was both flattering, and annoying. He never really had any time to himself.

Working as a mechanic was different. Bobby, Dean's adoptive Uncle, hired him immediately after Dean was old enough to work part time. Ever since, work was his favorite place to go to let his mind escape the rush of the day. At first, he was only able to clean up after the other mechanics, but now he was working under a hood of a car every day. From the beginning, he was able to let his mind wander and the stress of home and school life was non-existent.

But no matter how relaxing being at work was, being in his Impala was amazing. There was no feeling like it. Seeing the road expand and stretch before you as you roll down it without a care in the world and knowing that you can go anywhere was thrilling.

But today was not the best of days. After a long, grueling day in school and two hours of changing the batteries and replacing the brake fluids of several cars, Dean was exhausted. He wanted to pull over and fall asleep against the plush cushions in the backseat with his music on in the background. It would be perfect, but unreasonable. He could get a ticket or something.

So he took the long route home, enjoying the relaxing ride every second. Soon though, he was pulling up in front of his modern, and boring looking house. The once white walls were now yellow and chipping and due to the impending winter ahead, all plant life was dead.

Dean pulled up next to the 1986 GMC Sierra Grande that sat in the drive way, and smiled. If his dad's truck was in the driveway this early then that meant he was back from his hunting trip with his friends. Every month, John and his hunting buddies went on a week long hunting trip. They would always bring home some sad little animal to sell for extra money. Usually the Bambi heads sold for 50 bucks or higher. Dean personally doesn't think that hunting innocent animals for a few measly dollars for weeks on end was worth it, but what could he do?

Dean quickly made his way inside the house, looking for his dad. John's bags sat in the hallway, and a foul odor emitted from them, probably the dead animals. Dean's nose crinkled at the smell but he pushed on. Eventually, Dean found John at the kitchen table with his head in his hands. He looked as if he had fallen asleep. Dean, a little more hesitant, walked up to his father.

"Dad?" John grunted in response, cluing Dean in that he was indeed awake.

John ran a hand down his face and gave Dean a side glance. He cupped one hand in the other and pushed his mouth into the fingers, looking like he was holding back from saying something.

"Did I do something wrong or..." Dean left the sentence empty in his momentary state of confusion.

Finally, John stood and faced Dean. After a moment of staring, John held up a small stack of bills that had yet to be paid. Some were opened from when Dean had searched through them two days ago. The look in his father's eyes told him that John was angry, furious even. "The bills." John said simply. John's voice was strained and his body was shaking slightly from the anger boiling inside of him. John knew Dean was sneaky and that he liked to pry into things he shouldn't, but that didn't mean he had to like it.

Dean knew that what he did was wrong, and rude. John didn't like his kids knowing how far behind they were on the bills. Dean had only opened them to see if he could contribute and help his father a little. He did, after all, have a job.

"Yes I did. And I also placed some money in that envelope. That is enough to cover the water and electrical bills." Dean crossed his arms over his chest in both pride and defense.

John's anger seemed to grow and before Dean knew it, John was in his face. "You don't think I can provide for this family! Is that it? We are doing fine!" Anger swelled inside Dean. It wasn't fair for John to just yell at him for trying to do something nice for his family.

"I am not a child! I have a job and I earn money just like you do. I can help Dad! Your just too stubborn to receive it!" Both men were face to face, nose to nose. Their eyes met in a heated glare and both weren't willing to give in first.

"You watch your tongue, or I swear that I will show you your place." John's voice dropped a few octaves with barely contained fury and his body shook even more.

Dean, feeling brave and undeserving of this treatment, stepped closer to John. "I dare you" Dean hissed.

Without seeing it coming, Dean was suddenly thrown into the closest wall. A searing pain spread throughout his back and Dean groaned in pain. He struggled to get up and fight back but John had different plans. John settled on his knee and delivered one punch after another to Dean's torso and sides. John was yelling at Dean but the he couldn't hear him over the ringing in his ears. His vision blurred but he forced himself to stay awake.

Dean tried to fold into himself to stop the assault on his body. Usually, he had no problem in fights, but those were always with teenagers his age who hadn't yet fully developed lots of muscles. John however, was as strong as a bear. He was massive compared to Dean and it didn't help that Dean was already in so much pain.

John tucked his head down much like a boxer at a punching bag. The punches got increasingly harder and faster until they suddenly stopped. Dean's hair at the forehead was yanked up, bringing his droopy eyes to meet John's angry ones.

But as John stared into his son's eyes, something clicked inside him. John released Dean as if he had touched fire. He clutched his scraped and bruised hands to his chest in what seemed like surprise and disgust. Whether he was surprised at Dean's pleading eyes or realizing the damage that he had obtained to himself during his beating, Dean didn't know.

John stood and rushed to the other side of the kitchen. His head was turned to the other side so Dean was unable to see John's face.

Dean sat and waited. _'What was John going to do next? Could he leave? If he did, would he be punished more?_' These were the thoughts going through Dean's head and he was disgusted that he would think of his father so poorly. Maybe John had a reason for all of that other than him looking at the bills.

Dean was startled out of his thoughts by the envelope landing in his lap. Dean started to protest but was cut off by John. "Take the money and go to your room." John said, his voice shaky. He refused to look at Dean as he spoke.

"Bu-"

"I said go Dean!" John turned finally and Dean saw shimmering paths of tears run down John's face. At that moment, Dean felt a wave of different emotions swirling inside of him. Confusion, anger, and sadness were only some of them. He struggled to get up and had to use the wall to stand. Looking back once more at his father, he shuffled out of the kitchen and started up the long, painful trek to his upstairs bedroom.

When he finally got to his room he threw the envelope across the room with as much force as he could muster. It landed in a corner of the room with a soft thud. Dean shuffled to his bed and laid down carefully. Pain erupted from his back and stomach making him hiss. With a great deal of effort, Dean reached over to his bedside table for his earphones and the famous book, Moby Dick. If he falls asleep now, he probably won't wake until the next morning and he had to get his homework done sometime, why not now?

~TFW~

Sam POV:

Sam watched the threads of curly, gold locks of hair sway as she wrote in her notebook. She bit on her bottom lip in concentration and Sam just couldn't tear his gaze away from her. Her name was Jess. To Sam, she was perfect. Smart, beautiful, funny, and adorably nerdy didn't cover half of what made this goddess so perfect. He felt lucky to even be in her presence, doing this science project with her, and generally being someone he could call a friend. Though, he wished he had more nerve to ask her to be something more.

"I can feel you staring." Sam sat up, not realizing he had just zoned out, again. That actually happened a lot in her presence. Jess smiled at Sam's quirky nerves. "What is it? Do I have something on my face?" She wiped at her face searching for what she thought Sam was looking at.

Sam reached up to stop her, "No! Your fine. More than fine actually." He blushed at the intentions behind his words. "I-I just mean that you know, you don-"

"Sam it's fine. I understand." She laughed, making the awkward situation disappear instantly. Sam joined in her laughter and soon both were gasping for air. Some students and a few older people "shushed" them when they got loud but that didn't matter.

"You worry too much, you know that?" A few stray giggles left her mouth before she reached up to check her phone for the time. "Oh no! Sam I have to go! I lost track of time! My parents are going to be so mad. I'm sorry but I have to go." Jess jumped up to gather her things quickly, stuffing her notebooks in her book bag.

"It's fine. I should probably get going to." Sam reassured her while standing to pack up his things to.

Jess swooped in for a quick hug that Sam cherished, before running off. Sighing, Sam left for home as well. He took the shortest way home because the temperature had dropped twenty degrees since earlier that day. During this time alone, he thought about ways he could possibly ask Jess out. He had a scary thought that if he didn't ask her soon, someone else would.

The lights in the house were off and Dean's Impala was accompanied by John's Truck, indicating that their dad was finally home from his hunting trip. Sam breathed a sigh of relief. He had begun to worry that their Dad was in trouble while he was out hunting, in fact Sam always worried about that. He was sometimes interrupted in his sleep by haunting nightmares of their dad getting mauled by bears or something like that. Sam jogged up to the house and searched for John. He wasn't downstairs or in the backyard so Sam continued his search upstairs. He looked in his room first, even though it made no sense for him to be in there, he still wanted to be thorough.

His next stop was his Dad's room. Sam was sure that he would find John in there but sadly he wasn't. Curious now, Sam wandered to the last bedroom on that floor. Dean's door was slightly ajar but no sound could be heard from inside.

Pushing the door open slowly, Sam peeked inside for Dean. Luckily he didn't have to search long because Sam found Dean sitting on his bed with a book in hand and earphones in his ears. Relief flooded through him. He didn't like being in the house alone for long, the large expanse made him feel lonely when occupied by only him.

Walking into the room, Sam recognized the book that Dean was reading. Moby Dick was a tough novel to read at times but it was also very good.

Dean looked up from his book to Sam. Dean set about putting his book away and pulling his earphones out, albeit rather slowly. "Hey Sammy. You were out for awhile. What's up?" Dean gently laid his hands down across his belly and turned to give Sam his full attention.

"Hey, yeah I was at the library with Jess for a science project." Dean smirked and mumbled something that sounded like 'that wasn't the only thing you were doing, I bet.'

Sam rolled his eyes and shifted impatiently. "Anyways, I noticed Dad's car in the driveway. He's home from hunting, right?"

Sam walked over to Dean and sat at the edge of the bed. Dean's face flashed with a look of fear at the mention of 'Dad' but Sam wouldn't worry about that right now. He'll ask Dean why he was being so weird later.

"Yeah he is. Last I saw, he was at least." Dean looked down to watch his hands fiddle with the hem of his shirt. Sam eyed this nervous gesture with suspicion. Not only was Dean not moving much, but that look of fear earlier was strange. Why was Dean afraid of their Dad?

"Are you okay?" Sam asked warily. Dean shuffled and looked to the far end of the room, avoiding Sam's eyes. "What do mean? I'm fine. Can you go now? I told you that I don't know where Dad is."

"Okay but you look, I don't know, in pain? Are you hurt?" Sam stood and walked closer to Dean's stomach area for better examination. Sam was standing above Dean when he finally looked up from his stubborn gaze at the far wall. Dean's eyes widened and he scrambled away from Sam's looming figure.

Sam wasn't having any of it. He quickly pulled Dean's shirt up and over his chest, maybe even a bit roughly because Dean was hissing in pain. Sam released Dean's shirt in surprise at the horrible sight in front of him. Dean's stomach, chest, and the undersides of his forearms were littered in bruises of different colors. Purple, blue, and mix of yellow and green bruises painted Dean's torso like a disgusting masterpiece.

Dean yanked his shirt back down over himself with a huff of annoyance. Sam didn't know what to do with himself. How could he help Dean? What should he do?

"Get out Sam." Dean said, interrupting his previous thoughts. He couldn't go though, Dean needed him.

"Bu-"

"Now Sam!" Dean yelled. Dean wasn't staring at the wall or his shirt anymore. Instead, he fixed a harsh glare at Sam which could easily send people running for the hills, well, anyone who wasn't Sam Winchester.

Sam nodded stiffly and walked out of the room leaving the door cracked open like how it was before. He quickly walked down the stairs and into the kitchen. He got two cold bags of vegetables from the freezer and walked to a nearby closet to grab the medical kit.

Sam steeled himself before walking into Dean's room again. Dean would probably freak out again and tell Sam to go away, and he had to prepare for that. However, when Sam pushed inside Dean's room again, Dean was silent. He had his arms crossed and his glare was fixed on Sam but otherwise, he was calm.

Sam's step faltered but he pushed on. He slowly walked up to Dean, as if he was some sort of wild animal that was not meant to be touched. He displayed the medical kit and peas, a silent way of him asking for permission to take care of Dean. His answer was a rolling of eyes and looking to the far wall again.

After a bit of convincing, Sam was able to get Dean to sit up for him. The action looked extremely painful and Sam was once again taken aback. This was Dean Winchester. The most popular guy in school. Who would've been brave enough to do this to him, and strong enough.

Sam had wrapped Dean's body in a tight wrap, and strategically placed the pea bags on the worst of the bruises. Every touch had Dean squirming in pain and Sam wondered if he had any broken ribs. If he did, Dean was going to be in trouble because Sam doesn't know how to heal a broken rib!

Dean POV:

Once the job of fixing him up was done, Sam sat back at the end of the bed and tucked his legs under him, getting comfortable. Dean knew that Sam was waiting for an explanation as to why and who had done this to him, but he couldn't tell him. Dean didn't have the heart to tell his little brother that their father beat him after not seeing them for a week.

Sighing, Dean attempted to lighten the mood by waving his smelly, socked foot in Sam's face. That action brought a searing pain in his abdomen but he tried not to let it show. Sam giggled and swatted at his foot playfully but soon he returned to giving Dean the 'We Need To Talk' face.

They were both silent now, watching and waiting for the other to start speaking. Dean sighed again and started reluctantly. "Look, I just got into a small fight in school, okay? Trust me, the other guy looks much worse." Dean didn't know where that easy lie came from but Sam seemed to be okay with that explanation. Sam jumped into a long rant about being responsible and being the 'better man'. Dean, however, wasn't listening. Dean kept thinking of what would happen when John comes back. Would he hurt Sam to? Will he harm Dean again? Would John act like nothing had happened or will he apologize?Dean doesn't want Sam to feel unsafe in his own home, but what could he do about it if it ever happened, if John ever lashed out at Sammy?

Dean cut Sam off rather harshly and made sure Sam was looking in his eyes before he spoke. In all seriousness he said, "Sammy, I don't want Dad to know. Please don't tell him." He knew that he was both lying and begging but at this point he didn't care. Sam was not going to get hurt, not if Dean could help it.

Sam sighed and turned away from Dean in slight frustration. Dean could see the conflicting thoughts clash in a small, internal war in his little brother's head.

"Okay. I won't tell Dad, but if I see that you have been in more fights I'm telling." Sam blushed and turned to stare at the ground but he doesn't stop. "I know that I can't stop you from doing what you want, but we are brothers, Dean. I don't want to see you get hurt, just as much as you don't want me hurt." Sam looked up then and Dean saw the truth in his eyes. Sammy was scared for Dean and if he was being honest with himself, so was he.

Dean had always been a bit scared of John, or at least, scared of disappointing him. But now he was scared that John would hurt Sam next, or hurt Dean again, or leave them both for good. That was the worst though. To imagine them being on their own from now on just because Dean messed up, the thought made him feel sick.

"I'll try, Sammy."

Sam frowned, sticking out his bottom lip for effect, and folded his arms against his chest in a pout. "Don't call me that. You know I hate that nickname. I'm not a little kid."

That got a laugh from Dean and the sour mood was lifted when the sound of Dean and Sam's laughter filled the room.

When the laughter died down, Sam got up and asked Dean if he needed anything before heading off to the warmth and safety of his bed. Dean declined the offer tiredly. He could feel his eye lids getting heavy.

Sam nodded and wished Dean a goodnight before walking out of his room. With Sam gone the silence surrounded Dean and he was left with just the furniture around him to keep him company. Not knowing whether it was from the pain, sleepiness, or lying to Sam, a single tear ran down his freckled face. All of a sudden Dean felt utterly and completely alone.


	2. Chapter 2

John POV:

Day after day is a continuous, never ending cycle of work, sleep, and more work. John hardly ever has time to sit back and enjoy life. He has two jobs that both require heavy lifting and strength to get the job done. He does all of this for his two sons, who he loved dearly. Dean and Sam were to him, miracles, given to him from his wife, who died in a terrible house fire while saving Sam, who was at the time only an infant.

Every day he misses her warm smiles, kind eyes, and soft skin. He misses the aroma of delicious food being made in the kitchen early in the morning, slowly waking the house by filling their scents with apple pie, pancakes, and bacon. He misses the way she wished him a good day at work before he headed off, and he misses her playful energy around the kids.

He missed her. So much.

John knows he cannot find another perfect person like her to share his life with, so he moves through his day like a ghost, alone. At night and in the morning, the bed is cold and unwelcoming, the house dull without her smiles and energy lighting it up. Without her, life was hard and painful.

But no matter how hard life got, he always looked toward the two best gift she could have given. Their sons. Dean and Sam were, in so many ways, like their mother. Dean was stubborn and had Mary's bright, kind green eyes that were always so full of life while Sam was smart and took after Mary's side of the family as far as height and physical description went.

John works day in and day out to keep the roof over their heads and the only breaks that he gets is the few hours after work and the occasional hunting trip with his friends into the peaceful serenity of endless trees and life. The moments John enjoys most are when it's just him, the ground beneath his battered boots, and the hunt of the day prowling the forest, ignorant to John's intentions of soon having it's head mounted on a wall.

Not only was hunting fun and an escape from the hardships life gave him, but when John hunted he was able to sell the trophys to willing buyers. That, in turn, gave him extra money to use to keep Sam and Dean happy. Sometimes he bought ice cream, other times they went to the movie theater, and very rarely they got to go to the bowling alley.

But after this hunting trip, he couldn't afford any of those luxuries because somehow, his wallet was taken right from out of his back pocket.

John was driving home from his hunting trip when he saw that he was running out of gas. He stopped at the nearest gas station and filled the tank. About half way through, a man and his son walked up to his truck. They smiled and greeted him kindly.

"Hey! The name's Don and this is my son Nick. I couldn't help but notice those fine deer heads you got there." Don and Nick stood beside the trunk of the truck and admired the corpse. Nick even climbed onto the wheel to get a better look.

"Thanks." John voice was gravelly from not talking in a few hours so he coughed to clear his throat before continuing. "Yeah I just got back from a hunting trip and I was looking to sell it."

Don nodded understandably. "Right. Do you mind if me and Nick take a look at it?" Nick looked up excitedly at John and though the tank was almost full, nodded his consent.

Nick rounded over next to John and gave him a childish hug around the waist, since that is how tall he could reach. "Thank you, sir!" Nick said appreciatively and let go in favor of admiring the deer again. For the next thirty seconds Nick pointed to parts of the body and asked what they were or what they did until John's tank was full and he would've had to pull out of the slot for the next person's use.

"I appreciate it guys. If you want it I can give it to you for a hundred bucks now of you can give me your number and I can have it stuffed and made how you would like. Of course the price will go up if you chose the later." John said smoothly, a natural buisness man and people person at heart.

"I don't have my truck with me so I guess the last one it is then." Don said as he pulled out a pen and wrote his number and name on a brown napken.

Don handed the napken to John and led Nick away back to their own car. John smiled and tucked the napken in his pocket.

John was ten minutes from home when he finally realized the emptyness in his back pocket. John pulled over to the side of the road in front of a random house and searched his person and car. Furiously, John hit the steering wheel. Soon however an idea formed in his head and in a matter of seconds, he whipped out the number given to him by Don. John dialed the number and waited.

The sound on the other end of the phone was of a young man announcing the name to a pizza place. John lowered is phone, the sound of the pizza man fell silent with a resounding click.

John wanted to scream. _How could he have let a kid no older than 10 pick his pocket and manage to steal all of last weeks earnings and his credit card?_

Degrading thoughts like those swam in John's head the rest of the way home. When he walked in the front door of his house, he felt no comfort. He would be behind on the bills again now that a few thousand dollars wasn't at his disposal anymore.

John carried his duffle-bag of hunting supplies and bait in the hallway and walked into the kitchen. He pried his jacket off of his large frame and draped it across the back of a kitchen chair. In front of him lay a small but intimidating stack of unpaid bills.

John shuffled through the stack until he found an out of place envelope amongst the stack. John opened it and saw a large sum of money and a note. The envelope fell out of his hands and to the wooden table below.

John felt dizzy with anger at himself. Someone in this household _knew _that he wasn't able to provide for his family. He felt like a complete and utter failure as a father.

John sat down at the table to read the note that accompanied the money. The note read simply; _Hope this helps-Dean._

John examined the rest of the pile for anything else out of the ordinary and found that someone, most likely Dean, opened some of the bills.

Anger boiled under John's skin. Reading the bills, or any mail not addressed to them, were forbidden to touch. It was one of the few rules John set up when he started to notice how he was barely making the deadlines.

John laid his head in his hands. The combination of stress, loneliness, the stealing of his wallet from earlier, and Dean's disobediance drove him to a shaking mess.

And it was at that moment when company decided to present itself. The front door opened and closed with a soft creak. Shuffling could be heard and soon steps were being made to the kitchen area. John froze.

"Dad?" Dean's voice sounded throughout the room, however the fact that the voice was his _son's _didn't make itself known in John's John could think about was how he let his whole family down. The anger boiled inside of him, waiting to a headache started to form and John grunted in pain.

Dean's figure standing in the doorway to the kitchen caught his eye for a moment. John regained a little bit of himself to remind himself not to take his anger out on Dean. His head was throbbing now and so he leaned it back against his hands which were clasped together tightly.

"Dad? Did I do something wrong or..." Dean's voice reminded him of his own. Gruff, rude, sarcastic, a bit confused and annoyed all at once. John knew he had to defeate his fears and conquer the illusions standing before him. Dean's face was no longer his own, but Johns'.

John stood and turned toward his other self. The other one was the evil within him. He was the one who couldn't pay the bills or keep Mary safe, or the kids happy. The other John was evil and John had to defeate it.

John held up the envelope and said simply, "The bills." The bills were what caused all of this anger right now.

"Yes I did. And I also placed some money in that envelope. That is enough to cover the water and electrical bills." John watched the other him cross his arms in defence. So he did what any sane person would do and ran toward the illusion. They were face to face, so close that John could smell a light cologne coming from the other John. _'Why would the other me wear cologne?'_

"You don't think I can provide for this family! Is that it? We are doing fine!" John yelled in defense.

The other John look just as angry. The other John was saying something, something mean and degrading, but that was not important.

"You watch your tongue, or I swear that I will show you your place." John's hand was itching for a fight and if the other John was going to keep this up that might just happen.

The other John glared back defiantly and came even closer. "I dare you." The other hissed.

That sent John to the edge. He lunged at the illusion and slammed him into the wall. All John could think of was his own failures and as he pounded his fists into the illusion, he felt better. He was conquering his own failures. Maybe this way he can do better for his family.

But when he glanced up at the illusion's face, he saw Dean staring back. His eyes were droopy and his mouth hung open in silent wailing. His hands clutched his sides but his attempts at protecting himself from John's meaty hands were futile.

John backed off immediately and he scrambled to the other side of the kitchen. Thoughts swarmed in his head like a mob of locusts. _'Please tell me this was all an illusion. I did not just do that. No I didn't... not me. Not my son.' _

The envelope caught his sight and he felt sick. Not wanting to take Dean's money and not wanting to look at the thing that drove him over the edge, John threw it in Dean's general direction. "Take the money and go to your room."

"Bu-" Dean's voice was gravelly and dry sounding and it tore his heart to a million pieces. An army of tears gathered at the corners of John's eyes and, in fear of doing something else that he'll regret, decided it best to have Dean as far away from him as possible. "I said go Dean."

John waited until Dean's retreating steps were no more before letting out a breath he hadn't known he was holding. He concentrated on his breathing willing himself not to cry, but the tension building in his throat and eyes were too much.

John stepped out into the backyard and gasped. His chest strained with the flood of emotion and he fell to his knees on the cold, unforgiving earth below.

For awhile, John sobbed. The guilt, stress, and the anger he felt at himself crippled him.

After about half an hour of drowning in those emotions, he received a text from Bobby, a long time friend and manager of the car shop that Dean works at.

It read, "Going out for a few drinks. I'm paying." John replied with a quick "okay" and sat for a few more minutes trying to dry the tears and clear his throat.

Maybe it would do him some good to go out and clear his head. It's not like he could face Dean after what he did.

John hurried through the house and to his truck. He was looking forward to forgetting.

Dean POV:

His room was dark and quiet. The sun refused to rise above the horizon and shine some light in through his bedroom window. Dean looked over to his alarm clock and saw that the time was 5:00 in the morning. He sat up slowly, minding the throbbing pain all over and leaned against the headboard. Sleep still clouded his mind and he had to take a few minutes to remember why he woke up in the first place. His efforts at at remembering were futile and Dean was about to get ready to go back to sleep when a loud bang sounded from downstairs.

Dean jerked, startled by the sudden noise and winced in pain. As fast as he could manage with his injuries, Dean untangled himself from the sea of blankets and shuffled to the edge of the stairs. At the bottom of the staircase, where the front door stood slammed shut, lay the slouching figure of none other than his dad, passed out on the floor against the door.

Dean stood at the top of the stairs, frozen in shock. The man who has been troubling his mind since yesterday was right there, in front of his face. So... so close. Dean's breathing started to pick up and he, forgetting his pain, turned and ran back to his room.

He didn't bother with shutting the door and sat heavily on the edge of his bed, trying to gain control of his breathing before he went into a panic attack.

After a few moments of sitting and breathing, Dean felt better. He processed the facts of yesterday and today in his mind again and he criticized himself. He is the older brother, he needs to act like it. He needs to be brave and strong. Dean would not allow Sammy, or anyone for that matter, thinking that he was weak. Never.

Dean stood slowly and walked to Sam's room. If John drank all night, then Dean would need Sam's help with getting their Dad off the floor, especially in his condition.

Sam was sleeping soundly with a small smile on his face and Dean took a mental picture of the adorable sight.

"Sam" Dean whispered regretfully, not wanting to wake his little brother. He lightly shook his brother's shoulder lightly. Sam squirmed but remained asleep. "Sammy." Dean tried a little louder. Sam cracked one eye open but failed to see Dean's looming figure above him, and resolved to shutting it in favor of dream land, again.

Dean, getting aggravated now, shoved Sam's shoulder roughly and hissed "Sam!"

Sam jerked to an upright position and looked around for the source of his waking. At finding that it was only Dean, Sam slouched sleepily and rubbed at his crusty eyes. Dean crossed his arms over his chest and popped his hip out dramatically.

"What do you want?" Sam drawled. Dean looked too ridiculous for this early in the morning.

"I need your help." Dean grunted.

As if remembering something important, Sam's eyes widened. He carried his gaze down to Dean's chest in silent questioning. Dean rolled his eyes as he realized what his little brother was thinking. "Not with the bruises, idiot. It's Dad. He just came home and I think he might be sleeping against the front door."

Sam hesitated but resigned to nodding in favor of helping his brother. Dean would've guilt tripped him into doing it anyways.

Sam sluggishly pulled himself out of bed and stretched. After stretching a few muscles and moving around a bit, Sam looked more awake.

The brothers made there way to the staircase with Sam in the lead. Dean took the time where Sammy had his back to him to gather himself. The words 'You can do it. You can do it.' were repeated like a mantra in his head.

The brothers crouched and with a bit of difficulty, lifted John up by the arms and dragged him to the nearest couch. The large man was unceremoniously dropped on the plush cushions, limbs sprawling off the edges of the piece of furniture.

Sam threw a blanket over the man before eyeing Dean warily. Other than being a bit out of breath, Dean seemed fine. Sam walked over to Dean and requested that he pull up his shirt.

"No." Dean said stubbornly, already heading to his room for a few more hours of shut eye. "Why not?" Sam followed.

Dean, turned sharply and hissed, "Because I'm not a little kid. I can take care of myself." With a sense of finality, Dean turned and continued on to his room.

Sam stayed where he was at the bottom of the staircase, watching his grumpy brother stomp off to bed.

Taking one final look at his father to see if he was comfy enough, Sam to headed to bed. Maybe he can get some more sleep also. After all, his and Jess's science project is due and he wants to make a good impression on both her and his teacher.


	3. Chapter 3

Sam POV:

Light filtered through the curtains and to closed eyes. Surrounded by covers and pillows, Sam lay half asleep in his warm, comfy bed. An annoying beeping to his right reminded him that he had school, and he slowly sat up to turn it off. He spread his arms up over his head and gently extended his arms in a well needed stretch.

He hopped out of bed and walked to the bathroom to start his daily routine. As Sam was brushing his teeth, he noticed a few unpleasant things about himself. Like the way his hair was knotted and greasy, clear signs of needing a shower. Also, he had small bags under his eyes that indicated his lack of sleep that night. He quickly looked at the time and rushed into the shower, not wanting to be late for school, or have Dean drive off without him.

After his shower, Sam was fully awake and ready for the day. He headed downstairs after dressing and brushing his damp hair, to prepare himself and Dean each a bowl of cereal. However, when Sam got to the kitchen, Dean was already there, chowing down on Fruity Pebbles like a starving dog.

Dean looked up at Sam and slowed his eating down to a more normal pace. Dean was decked out in a long sleeve shirt and jacket, with his necklace dangling proudly from his neck.

Sam ate slowly from his bowl, glancing at Dean every few seconds, looking for any signs of pain. He knew from experience how defensive Dean could get when he thought someone was taking pity on him, so Sam decided to not say anything.

When they had both finished their bowls, Dean grabbed his keys and walked out the door without saying a word. Sam followed behind slowly, giving him the space he wanted. When they were in the car Sam noticed the content look he got from just sitting there. When Dean inserted the key and the car purred to life, a small smile spread across his face. Sam turned away to buckle his seat belt and they were off.

The whole ride was a silent affair. Both brothers stared out the windshield, lost in their thoughts. When they pulled up to the school, Sam snapped out of the day dream he was having. He looked over to his brother who was already opening the door. Sam, without really thinking, grabbed Dean's arm. Dean looked over his shoulder confused. "What is it Sam?" He sounded annoyed but his face relaxed as he resettled into the plush seat. "Are you sure that you're okay? I mean..." Sam gestured to his abdomen, not feeling very comfortable talking about this issue, but at the same time needing to.

Dean shrugged absently. Sam saw this as his chance to ask the questions that have been bothering him. "I just...I want to know who did this. Why? A-and where did this even happen? I mean all you do is go to school and the garage. Oh no... don't tell me one of your co-workers did this to you because I think you can file a lawsuit or something, right?"

"Sam!" When Dean had finally gotten Sam's attention, he rolled his eyes and turned more towards him. He stared into Sam's eyes seriously. "Sam I know that I look bad but..." Dean looked down, confusion and fear and sadness consumed him and he choked out in a small voice, "I-I don't know why but, just please don't tell anyone." When Dean looked back up, Sam noticed that his eyes were pink around the edges, showing that Dean was close to tears.

Sam was speechless. He stared at his big brother, the one who was always so strong and brave and who looked after him since before he could even talk. Sam knew that his brother was looking after him. He knew that not telling anyone was what Dean really wanted. But he didn't know for sure if that was for the best. If he told someone, an adult who could help, it would be like he was looking after Dean, just like he had all of these years. But then that might risk Dean hating him.

Before Sam could say anything, Dean was gone. Sam looked around and saw him walking towards the front doors. Sighing, Sam walked out of the car. _Maybe Jess will have some advice for me._

Dean POV:

Dean walked to his locker slowly. Every step he took was painful. He could feel his muscles move and stretch and his abs ached. He walked through the hallways like a ghost, silently and slowly. The crowd parted ways for him, as they usually did. As he walked, planning every step so that he won't hit anyone accidentally, a blond girl with brown eyes and a seductive smile stepped close to him. Her perfume was strong and it made his eyes water. She cocked her head and twirled her hair. "Hello sweety. Remember me?" Dean racked his brain, trying to remember her, but it just wasn't coming to him. He tried to smile casually but it looked more awkward than not.

"Hey you!" He said nodding and smiling. She frowned, looking very offended. "Hey you? What the heck! You slept with me two weeks ago and never even made eye contact with me afterwards! You probably don't even remember my name!" At Dean's lost look she huffed and slapped him across the face. With a final glare she turned and stomped down the hallway. All eyes were on Dean and not thinking what else to do or say, he just continued to his locker.

Dean opened the lock and opened the small metal door, grabbing two pencils for the day. He was shuffling through his book bag for some chips before class when his best friends, Benny and Jo walked up. They simultaneously fall against the surrounding lockers on either side of him, waiting. Dean continued eating, pretending they weren't there. However their silence and the face that they were staring holes into his forehead caused him to look up in annoyance.

"Okay fine! What is it?" Benny chuckled and looked to Jo. "We heard about the little incident with Kendra this morning." "Care to elaborate?" Jo finished.

Dean looked between them with a bemused look on his face. "What is this? Some sort of interrogation?" Dean huffed out a few laughs before shutting his locker. He walked on, the two following close behind.

"I was just walking and she came up to me and asked if I remember her. I didn't know what to say without sounding mean so she got an offended and slapped me." Jo scoffed, "Well of course she did. You took her virginity Dean! That was messed up." Dean stopped and looked to Joe horrified. "I-I didn't know." Jo looked disappointed in him and that made him feel worse because sometimes she could remind him of his mother before the, incident. "What should I do?" Dean asked. Jo opened her mouth but was cut off by Benny.

"Man, you gotta go up to her and say sorry. Tell her you're an idiot for doing that but it was really fun. Then tell her some excuse as to why you didn't contact her and then everyone's happy!" Jo slapped Benny. "I was kidding! Just kidding!" Benny said in between laughs. Dean watched as Jo scolded Benny for being so rude and Benny just rolling his eyes. "You just need to say sorry man. That you messed up and you hope she will forgive you. Maybe be friends or something." Benny said more seriously. His eyes were sincere and both him and Jo looked at him in shock.

"What? I am a romantic at heart." He said, dramatically putting his hand over his chest, effectively ruining the mood. Dean and Jo followed Benny into their home room class and took a seat in their usual place at the back of the class. With great effort, Dean trailed behind the other two as fast as possible without drawing attention to his face, which was tense from the pain. Luckily the classroom was small and so the trek was bearable.

Once they settled into their seats Benny leaned forward with an excited smile on his face. "Uh oh. We're in trouble, Dean" Jo said sarcastically, "Benny is excited, that can only mean one thing, trouble." Benny faked looking hurt before continuing, "So I have been saving my money for awhile now and yesterday my dad took me to see a guy who wanted to sell his boat. And this thing is huge, like yacht huge, and he said that I can buy it if I have enough money, which I don't."

"I thought this was going to be a good story, it seems a bit messed up." Dean said in amusement. "Well you didn't let me finish. What I was going to say is that he will hold the boat at his place for two more weeks and if I can't get the money by then, he will sell it to someone else."

"What does this have to do with us?" Jo said, getting bored. "I need your guy's help to get money because then once I buy it, it's parties every week!"

Jo and Dean's faces lit up and pretty soon they were going over plans on how to get everything set up. However the had to hush up because class was about to start. The teacher had glared at them and threatened to give them detention for two days if he had to put up with their behavior again. That was enough to get them to shut up and pay attention.

"Now before class starts I want to introduce a new student, Castiel Novak." At the mention of his name a kid with messy brown, almost black, hair and bright blue eyes stood up from his seat. Dean could only see the side of his face but his expression was unreadable. As if he was going through the motions of life. Dean could relate, that was how he felt now. The kid sat down and played with his pencil, twirling it in between his fingers like magic. Absently, Dean picked up his pencil and tried twirling it, but it went over the first finger and fell to the table with a loud thud, snapping Dean out of his trance-like state. Unbeknownst to Dean, Jo and Benny saw him staring at the new kid and try copying him but said nothing when he snapped out of it.

"Now you will all be getting into partner groups and will do a report on any specific point in history. It can date back to medieval times or the Elizabethan Age, or whatever you want, you just have to tell me and I'll make sure it's appropriate. Now before we go into detail of how you'll do this, get into your groups."

Jo and Benny looked at each other and smirked knowingly. They were both thinking the same thing. "So are we doing rock, paper, scissors or what?" Dean said, because that is what they always do when the teacher assigns partners. Whoever gets a matching symbol work together and the other goes to find someone else.

"Actually me and Benny want to work together. Maybe you should partner up with the newbie." Dean didn't seem too fazed and shrugged. He got up and slowly made his way to the empty desk beside the boy. He was looking around, and he reminded Dean of a lost puppy. Dean tapped his shoulder and the kid twisted around, startled by Dean's sudden presence.

"Whoa it's okay!" Dean said to the frightened boy. Castiel took a deep breath before glaring at Dean. "You startled me." Dean shrugged and smiled, "What can I say, I am a very surprising person." Castiel tilted his head in confusion, "Can I help you with something?" Dean sat back in the chair to get comfy. "I think we can help each other, we both are partnerless so I thought, what happens when two people who don't have a partner do? Oh I know, they partner up!" Castiel rolled his eyes at the sarcasm but he smiled. "Okay, partner. So what do you want to do?" Castiel said, leaning back in his chair like Dean had.

"Dean thought for awhile before shaking his head. "I have no idea. What about you?" Castiel shrugged, "I guess I'm interested in the Salem Witch Trials. They're pretty interesting." Dean was taken aback. This kid looked so innocent and here he was talking about how he thought burning people at the stake was interesting. "Wow. Hardcore man." Dean smiled, "Lets do it."

"Oh and by the way, the name's Dean. Dean Winchester."

Jo POV:

Something was off, she knew it. Dean was hiding something from them. He was abnormally quiet that morning and she saw that look in his eyes when he was looking at the new kid. What was his name? Chris? No. Charles? Definitely not. Ca...Cast...Castile! Or something like that.

Anyways, that look in his eyes was something she had only ever seen once before. When he had a crush on a girl named Lisa in seventh grade. He would stare at her for hours if he could. But this time, It seemed like he didn't even realize he was doing it. When Lisa and him were together, he was so happy. And ever since she moved he wasn't. That was why she, Jo Harvelle, was now on a mission, to get the two of them together. Only, she needed to find a way to set them up on a date without them ever knowing it so then it wouldn't seem like she was influencing their relationship. After all, they were big boys. One of them will surely develop a crush on the other, if Dean hasn't already.

This was going to be fun.

Dean POV:

Castiel and Dean jotted ideas onto a sheet of paper and were planning to meet up somewhere to do the paper. The teacher explained that each person will be writing from two different point of views during the event that they picked.

"We could meet up at the library?" Dean said, recalling what Sam had said last night about how he went there to work on a project for school. Castiel nodded as he wrote at the top of the paper 'library'. "So um... I guess we figured everything out. Now we just go to the library and look up facts. What do you want to do now?" Castiel asked, somewhat shyly.

Dean smirked and shifted in his chair again. He did that a lot due to the now dull pain.

"Well we can play a game? How about twenty questions?" Castiel nodded in agreement. "But nothing too personal, okay?" Dean mocked surprise, "I would never!" He said, throwing his hand over his chest, much like how Benny had earlier. Castiel giggled and Dean was truly surprised by the soft sound. "Did you just giggle?" Castiel blushed slightly but said; "I believe that you are now down to nineteen questions." Dean was shocked. "What! But that's not fair." Castiel shrugged and smiled maliciously. "My turn. Um... what is your favorite food?" Dean didn't even have to think about that. He hadn't realized he blurted out his answer until afterwards. Castiel looked surprised and happy at the same time. "I like burgers to. Not McDonald's though." Dean shook his head in disgust at the mention of McDonald's. "I hate that place. I don't like it when the meat is in a small patty like that."

"Yeah I like big patties to." Dean laughed at that and Cas looked confused, making him laugh harder. Soon he was gasping for breath and his abdomen was hurting again, big time. He doubled over, in both pain and laughter and he got a few looks from some surrounding students. "What is it? Why are you cackling like a madman?" Cas asked, small smile in place. Dean sat up and wiped his eyes. "The way you said that sounded like you meant _something else._" He waggled his eyebrows on those last two words but Cas was still lost.

"I don't understand." He admitted. Dean chuckled a bit more before calming down. "Man I haven't laughed that hard in...well in a long time." He patted his shoulder affectionately.

The bell rung, signaling that class was over and they packed up all of their stuff. "So I guess I'll see you later?" Dean wouldn't admit it, but every time he looked into those bright blue eyes, his chest fluttered happily. Castiel was a cool guy, a bit odd, but funny. And they both liked burgers!

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**Okay so this is a shorter chapter than the others but it's at that stage where things haven't really taken off yet. But hey, they met! Yay!**

**And I like how I'm making Jo go all secret spy-like. I added that part about the boat because it will become important later on in the story.**

**Also, I am not the biggest fan of Benny(what I mean is I don't obsess over him like I do with Dean and Cas) so if I am writing him in a way that is not him, could you guys let me know? I want this story to be good! :)**

**Thank you for reading this so far and I will post more soon!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hi everybody! I'm back! I haven't had the time to write anything the past week and I'm sorry about that. I was at a camp all week. Anyways, the story must go on!**

**Thank you so much for those of you who have stuck with me and my story. And I want to thank those of you who have commented on my story. I know it is a bit slow in the beginning, but I swear it will take off. This chapter has a lot of switching POV's so for some that might get a bit annoying but it shouldn't happen as much in later chapters. Just hang with me guys. :)**

**Thank y'all for being patient with me guys!**

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Sam POV:

Sam walked down the crowded hallway with Jess at his side. A comfortable silence enveloped them as they thought of the troubles going on in their teenage lives. Sam contemplated telling Jess about what happened to Dean, well almost everything.

Jess waved to one of her friends as she walked, never once leaving Sam's side and he smiled. He was so lucky to have a friend like her, and so nervous because he just had to tell her how he felt. But what if she just wants to be friends, or she likes someone else, or... anything!

Without Sam knowing due to the thoughts stirring around in his head, Jess had slipped her hand into his.

As they entered their first class she slipped her hand out and they took their seats. As the other students filed into the room, Sam turned to Jess. "So I have a question." Sam said slowly, still not sure if this is the best idea. Jess turned towards him and smiled. "Anything" She said.

Sam smiled and scratched the back of his head, searching for his words. "Well, what if I told you that I knew somebody who got hurt but that somebody doesn't want anybody else to know and tells me to just forget about it. But I can't do that because I care about that person and don't want it to happen again. What do I do?" The words tumbled out of his mouth and he looked to Jess for her advice. She thought about it and looked up at him.

"Well, I would do what you think is right in your heart. Forget about what you're supposed to normally do because everyone's situations are different. If this person truly wants you to keep it a secret I would. But if it happens again, I would consider telling someone." Sam pondered over what she said and smiled.

"You're amazing." He thought. Jess smiled and Sam went as red as a tomato, for he had actually said that out loud.

A small blush dusted Jess's cheeks. "Thanks."

The two teens turned to their teacher who was trying, unsuccessfully, to get the class's attention. "Now we will start the presentations. Sam and Jess, you're up first. Together, they walked to the front of the class, with matching blushes.

Dean POV:

After his first class, Dean didn't see Castiel in any of his other classes until lunch. His eyes scanned the lunchroom for dark hair and a long, tan trench coat. Luckily, Dean needn't search more because he found him standing in the lunch line. He stood still, looking forward, expressionless. Dean once again got the feeling that Cas wasn't all there. That he was only going through the motions of life, miserable and alone.

Dean shook his head, clearing his mind of those depressing thoughts and walked up to him. Dean tapped his shoulder, gaining his attention. He turned towards Dean with a small smile. "Hello Dean." He said politely.

"Yeah hey. So... what's for lunch today?" Dean rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. He felt stupid for just waltzing up to him without a reason.

"I'm not sure. But I guess we'll find out soon."

Castiel got his lunch before him and had found an empty table by a window. Unbeknownst to him, no one sat at it because a few months earlier, a depressed boy slit his wrists with a knife he had brought from home and later died from blood loss.

Dean headed to his usual table where his friends sat but when he saw Castiel sitting alone at _the_ table, he stopped. Without thinking he walked up to the "cursed" table. Just standing beside it got half the cafeteria's attention. Castiel looked up at him, then around him, then back down to the table. Dean looked around and saw people murmuring and gossiping and staring.

"Nothing to see here!" He said harshly, glaring daggers at them. Most turned away, but Dean knew they would watch anyways. Castiel looked up and smiled thankfully. "That wasn't necessary, Dean. I'm used to it." Dean shook his head. "I don't think you are."

Dean sat down across from him and a whir of voices erupted around them. Dean and Cas tuned them out. "You do realize why this table is empty right? Why they are gossiping so much?" Castiel shook his head. He was new to school after all.

"Well they say that this table is cursed. It makes people go insane."

"Why?" Castiels' eyes were wide with curiosity. Dean explained what had happened all of those months ago and Castiel listened intently. "So, you don't believe in the curse?" Castiel asked once Dean had finished explaining. "Not this one in particular, no." He said in between bites of his chicken nuggets.

Castiel hummed and Dean looked skeptical. "What?" Dean asked, eyes narrowing.

"What do you mean?" Castiel asked innocently.

"What was that weird hum that you did all about?"

Castiel smirked. "I was just wondering if not the curse, what could possibly make you want to sit with me. It seems pretty insane to me."

Jess POV:

Sam and Jess were blushing all throughout their presentations and when they sat down, a few people stared confusedly.

Jess was doodling when she felt eyes boring into her head. She slowly lifted her head and turned to Sam. He sat in his seat with a small smile on his face. He must not have noticed he was doing it. This had happened a lot with Sam, he was always looking at her like that, almost, dare she say, with love.

This fact made her smile. She loved how he always looked at her, her heart would always beat faster and it made her feel important. That was why she didn't know why he wouldn't just ask her out on a date. If he liked her so much, and she knew he did, then why didn't he tell her? Was he afraid?

These were the thoughts that plagued her mind quite often. Therefore, with a final look at him, she turned back to her doodles and waited. Waited on the day Sam Winchester would finally ask her out.

Castiel POV:

Red.

Red covered everything. The ground, his shoes, the walls, the students, the teachers...everything was red.

Everything except for Dean Winchester. Dean was a mixture of every color, vibrant and exciting, but also cool and calming. Every color had an emotion. Red was nothing but utter terror and when Castiel looked at Dean, that feeling was non-existent.

When Dean surprised him in the lunch line, Castiel couldn't help but smile. Dread and fear washed away and Castiel felt like at last, he could breath.

After lunch, Castiel and Dean made plans to meet up at the library right after school. They only have about an hour because Dean has a job so they would need to work on their papers diligently.

After lunch Castiel didn't see Dean around. He was heading to his locker when a few girls stopped him. They each grabbed him by the shoulders and stepped up front. "Hello newbie. You don't know us, do you?" One of them asked in a too-sweet tone and with a fake smile plastered on her face. Castiel shook his head.

"Good." The other one spoke up with a harsher tone but same fake smile. "But you should know that a queer like you needs to move somewhere else because if I see you drooling over him one more time, I will come after you. Do you hear me?" Her face was close to his and her strawberry lip gloss was strong. She glared harshly.

"I don't understand." Castiel said tilting his head. _Who are they talking about? And why are they being so mean? I didn't do anything to them._

The first girl clicked her tongue, now looking just as mad as the other. "What do you mean by that, huh? You playing dumb with us or something? Don't go near him and you won't get hurt, got it? Good."

With that the two girls turned and sauntered down the hallway, heads held up high. Castiel walked on to his locker, still confused. _Who on earth could they have been talking about?_

Jo POV:

Jo was walking down the hallway when she saw Castle. He was being glared down by two very well-known girls in school and he looked adorably confused. Jo smirked, phase one of her devious plan coming to mind. She walked closer, and with precision and clarity only a naturally born spy could do, she snapped a photo of his adorable face. It was a perfect photo and she wasn't too obvious. She quickly sent the photo to Dean with a text saying, "Awww! Cute, right?"

Jo was about to turn back around and help him with the annoying brats but when she turned, they were walking away. Castle shrugged and walked on, still looking slightly confused.

Her phone buzzed and she smiled excitedly. The text was from Dean reading; "What do you mean? Did you mean to type this to a girl? Was it meant for Delilah? It's okay Jo, I won't tell anyone that you like him. :)"

Jo's mouth fell open in shock. "H-he didn't take the bait..." Jo growled frustrated and texted back, "Right yeah. Sorry 'bout that. I don't actually like-like him, I just thought it was a cute face he made."

"Okay then" Dean texted back. Jo sighed.

"Well I guess phase one didn't work out. Now for phase two, whatever that will be..."

Dean POV:

Dean had received the text from Jo as he was walking from his last class of the day. He was supposed to meet Cas at his Impala to go to the library together. When he saw the adorable confused face, he smiled. Jo was always accidentally sending him texts that were meant for others. _But why was she talking about Cas?_

Dean tucked his phone away when he saw Cas standing beside his Impala. Cas turned towards him with a weird expression on his face. "This is an amazing car, Dean. How did you keep it in such good condition? It seems pretty old." Castiels' eyes roamed over the surface of the car with an impressed look.

Dean shrugged and scratched the back of his neck. "I guess in a way the car takes care of itself. It gives me comfort, freedom, and fun while I keep it clean, healthy, and cared for."

"Wow. That's impressive." Cas said as he stood by the passenger side door. Dean unlocked the car and hopped in, Castiel following suit.

"Well, she's my baby." Dean smiled at Cas goofily and Cas smiled back. For a moment their eyes were locked on the other and in a way, everything felt right. The feeling of being in his favorite car with Cas, of all people, felt right.

Reluctantly, Dean turned away from the baby blues and turned the key. The engine revved to life and with a purr, backed out of the parking space and rolled down the road. Dean, instinctively, took the scenic back roads. Yellow, orange and red leaves dangled on low hanging branches and covered the sides of the road. Dean glanced over at Cas who was staring out the window. He had a peaceful, and somewhat surprised, look on his face.

Dean turned back to the road with a contented smile on his face. When they arrived at the library, neither felt like getting out of the car. "Can I ask you something?" Dean said nervously. Castiel turned away from the window and gave Dean his full attention. "Well, earlier, at lunch, you said that you were used to people staring at you. What did you mean by that?"

Castiel looked down at his shoes uncomfortably. "I meant exactly that. People are curious about the unknown. Some things went down in my life awhile ago and they would look at me weird. As if by staring at me, they would know all of the answers to their questions."

Castiel didn't take his eyes off of his shoes and Dean felt bad for asking. Dean laid his hand on Cas' shoulder, drawing his attention. Cas looked up at Dean, eyes a bit pink. "I know what it's like to have something you don't want anyone to know. You want to put it all behind you and move on."

Castiel nodded and once again they took comfort in the others' eyes.

Both boys, with internal conflicts and swirling feelings, sat in the Impala wondering what it was they were feeling at that moment. It was a feeling they had never known, but they both knew that there was something there...trust.

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**Okay so this was a pretty short chapter compared to the others so far. Thank you to those who have been following my story and I will post the next chapter soon!**


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